Vacuum apparatus.



I No. 845,670. PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907.

P. H. THOMAS.

VACUUM APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 23, 1904.

MECH. .9 PUMP PERCY H. THOMAS,- OF EAST ORANGE, NEW HEWITT ELECTRICCOMPANY, OF NEW OF NEW YORK.

JERSEY, ASSIGNOR To COOPER YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION vAcuuM APPARATUS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 26, 1907.

Application filed January 23,1904. Serial No. 190,285-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERCY H. THOMAS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Orange, county of Essex, State of New-Jersey, have invented certain new and userul improvements in Vacuum Apparatus,

-- of which'the following is a specification.

.50 sealed vapors is in progress.

When it is desired to remove in urious gases from a containing vessel or chamber, it is sometimes desirable to assist the operation by creating a vapor inside the chamber and causing the expulsion or removal of the said vapor either wholly .by the same means as those employed for creating it or partially by the use or supplemental means, such as a mechanical pump, which would not in itself provide sufhcient means for accomplishing the removal. Such a vapor may be exemplified by mercury vapor, and the vapor may be produced by heatlng mercury mside the chamber and expelling the gases either entirely by the influence of the heat or with the aid of a mechanical pump. This process has. been found useful in connection with the pumping of mercury-vapor apparatus wherein the mercury may serve the purpose of forming an electrode or more than oneelectrode inside the container after the chamber has been sealed off and the apparatus is ready for use. It should be understood that thesealing ofiJ' in allca ses takes place while the operation of expelling or withdrawing the lie present invention is designed to utilize to some extent the same general principles as those above set forth but it is more particularly applicable to apparatus in which the material used for creating the vapor is not essential to the operation of the completed apparatus.

For convenience Ishall show mercury'as the source of vapor and a jet, flame, or torch as -a source of heat for generating the mercury. Instead, however, or placing the mercury in the vessel which is to be 'exhausted of air and other gases I locate the mercury in a separate receptacle below the charm er and connect this receptacle to the cham' or by aneck which can readily be ofl when the operationis complete. During the process of removing injurious panying drawing,

an apparatus adapted to secure the carrying" may'also surround-the receptacle 3 vapor from gases from the chamber the chamber itself and the receptacle containing mercury will both be sub ected to heat, thereby causing the passage of a portion of the mercury vapor generated to pass through the chamber and out at a suitable exit-tube. With the said exit-tube may' or may not be connected a mechanical pump for assisting in the withdrawal or the vapors and gases. When the operation has been continued long enough, so that the products issuing through the exittube are substantially pure mercury vapor, the said exit-tube is sealed off, heat is withdrawn from the mercury-containing receptacle, the latter is subjected to the influence of special cooling means, .thereby promoting the condensation of the mercury and its return to the receptacle, after which the neck connecte ing the receptacle to the chamber is sealed oif and the operation is complete. When this process is carried out inthe manner described, it is found that a very high degree of vacuum is produced in the chamber, such ro-' ductionbeing assisted by the means w 'ch are provided for condensing the mercury through a cooling process.

The invention is illustrated in the accomwhich is an elevation of out or my invention.

In the drawing, 1 hausted, 2 is the exit-pipe therefrom, and 3 is the receptacle for containing mercury. Around the chamber 1 I may arrange-a heatretaining shield 4', adapted to receive jets 5 5 which may be ignited for producing heat.. l with a heat-retaining shield 6 and may place in the bottom thereof one or more jets 7 7 for heating the mercury-receptacle 3 and the mercury contained therein. The receptacle 3 is joined to the chamber 1 by means of a neck 8. The exit-tube 2 may have connected toits remote end a mechanical pump, as shown at 9, and in general" I prefer this, arrangement, although the pump may be dispensed with, if preferred.

A To operate the apparatus, the jets 5 5 and 7 7 may be ignited and the pump 9 set in action, Through; the operation of the jets- 7 7 mercury vapor is formed, and this passes is the chamber to be ex-' pum 9 be used, it will assist the withdrawal part 6. from anypass out throu h thebottom' oft of t e vapors. The gases originally con-.

tained in the chamber 1 will naturally diffuse themselves in the vapor of mercury created by the process above described, and as the said vapor passes outfrom the chamber the original gases will be carried alongwith it, and the process may be continued until practically nothing but pure mercury vapor passes out through the exit-tube. At this time the tube 2 should be sealed off, and the jets 7 7 should be removed or the flames put out. The jets '5 5, however, will remain in operation. The part 6, which has been up to this point used as a heat-retaining chamber, may now be filled with a cooling liquid, such as water, whichmay be caused to pass continuously through-the part mentioned, thereby causing a rapid cooling of the receptacle 3. Owing to the comparatively low. temperature of this receptacle, the mercury vapor in the chamber 1 will be condensed and fall by gravity into the receptacle. 1 Accordingly an excellent vaccuumwill be producedin the chamber 1 and when the operation has been continued long. enough the neck..8 may be sealedofl, leaving the chamber'as a distinct structure provided with a highvacuum.

Thecooling fluid may be poured, into the suitable source and may a cock 1-0, asshown near e figurer; Instead' of causing the vaporization of a liquid by heat and the expulsion of a portion of the vapor by the same means I may employ any other suitable means for producing a vapor and expelling a portion thereof.

I may employ similar means for absorbing the vapor to produce the vacuum after the sealing olf of the neck 2.

-Under some circumstances it will be found;

convenient instead of retaining the source of heat 5 durin the operation of condensation or remova of the vapor to allow'the chamber 1 to cool, thus condensing the vapor, if only means be. provided for removing the condensed vapor in the chamber 1. before sealing off the neck 8.

It is convenient to locate the receptacle 3 below the chamber 1. It is, however, quite possible to locate said receptacle at any convenient point, the cooling'of the said receptacle as described being adequate to withdraw the vapors from the chamber 1 by condensing them in the receptacle.

In a divisional application filed on the 16th day of June, 1905, Serial No. 265,503,

from a chamber, which consists 1n causing a vapor to pass through the said chamber thereby removing a portion of the original gases or ,vapors, continuing this process to any desired limit, and sealing off both the inlet and outlet of the said chamber.

2. The method of, removing injurious gases from a chamber, which consists in providing a suitable inlet and outlet therefor, assing a vapor into the chamber through the miet and out through the outlet, thereby continuously removing. a portion of the original gases or vapors, continuing the process to any desired limit, andsealing off the inlet and the outlet.

3. The method of producing a vacuum within a chamber, havin below it a recep tacle containing a volati izable fluid, which consists in vaporizing a ortion of the said fluid, causing a portion the va or to pass through the chamber, sealing o the outlet from the chamber while the described operation is in progress, afterward cooling the receptacle and thereby condensing the vapors and permitting the products of-conden'sation to fall by ravity into the receptacle, and sealing ofi t e .connection between the receptacle and the chamber.

4. The method of roducing a vacuum -within a chamber havmg below it a receptacle containing avolatilizable fluid, which consists in vaporizing a portion of the said fluid by heat, causing a portion of the generated va ors to pass into and out of the chamber, sea in off the outlet from th'e chamber, while the escribed operation is in progress, removing the source of heat, afterward cooling the receptacle and thereby condensing the vapors and permitting the products of condensation to fall into the receptacle by gravity, and sealing'off the'connection between therece tac'leand the chamber.

5. The met odof roducing a vacuum within a chamber havmgbelow it .a receptacle containing a volatilizable fluid, which consists in applying heat to the said rece .tac le, thereby vaporizing a portion of t e fluid, simultaneously applying heat to the chamber, causing a portion of the generated vapors to pass into and out of the chamber, sealing off the outlet from the chamber while the described operation is in progress, removing the source of heat-from the receptacle,

applying cooling means to the said, receptacle, and sealing off the connection between the receptacle and the chamber.

6. The method of exhausting a chamber, which consists in passing a condensable gas into and out of the. chamber, sealing off the "outlet, condensm the gas outside the cham- Signed at New York, in the county of New ber and sealing o the mlet. York and State of New York, this 11th day IO 7. The method of exhausting a chamber, of January, A. D. 1904.

which consists in pass' a gas or Va or into PERCY THOMAS and out of the chamber t ough suita 1e inlet and outlet passages, seal' ofl? the outlet of Witnesses: the chamber, removi t e as from the WM. H. CAPEL,

I chamber, and sealing ofi the et. r GEORGE H. STOcKBRmGE. 

